West Virginia Democratic Party

The West Virginia Democratic Party (WVDP) is the West Virginia affiliate of the Democratic Party. The party started as a coalition of pro-Union Democrats, pro-Confederate Democrats, and former Whigs, and its political dominance flourished after the ban on ex-Confederates serving in public office was lifted in 1872. From 1872 to 1896, the Democrats held power in the state, and the Democrats returned to dominance as a result of the Great Depression in 1932, controlling most of the state and local offices even into the 21st century. From 1930 to 2014, the Democrats controlled both bodies of the state legislature, and, out of all the 121 terms of statewide office that have been regularly elected since 1932, only seven have been lost. The voting base in the state was once the "West Virginia Democrat": hardline on the Second Amendment and religious, but pro-union and with a record of voting reliably blue. Since the 2000 election, however, Republican candidates for president enjoyed electoral victories in the state.